Fuzzy-Based Ecological Vulnerability Assessment Driven by Human Impacts in China

Cheng Han, Yang Zhang and Jing Shen
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Cheng Han: College of Economics and Management, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Yang Zhang: College of Economics and Management, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Jing Shen: College of Economics and Management, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-17

Abstract: Human activities have a significant impact on global ecosystems. Assessing and quantifying ecological vulnerability is a fundamental challenge in the study of the ecosystem’s capacity to respond to anthropogenic disturbances. However, little research has been conducted on EVA’s existing fuzzy uncertainties. In this paper, an ecological vulnerability assessment (EVA) framework that integrated the Exposure-Sensitivity-Adaptive Capacity (ESC) framework, fuzzy method, and multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), and took into account human impacts, was developed to address the uncertainties in the assessment process. For the first time, we conducted a provincial-scale case study in China to illustrate our proposed methodology. Our findings imply that China’s ecological vulnerability is spatially heterogeneous due to regional differences in exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity indices. The results of our ecological vulnerability assessment and cause analysis can provide guidance for further decision-making and facilitate the protection of ecological quality over the medium to long term. The developed EVA framework can also be duplicated at multiple spatial and temporal dimensions utilizing context-specific datasets to assist environmental managers in making informed decisions.

Keywords: ecological vulnerability assessment; fuzzy method; multi-criteria decision making; uncertainty; human impacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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